The Proposal
by ForecastingFiction
Summary: Happy-AU: Three years after the end of the game. Chloe and Max have been dating over the past three years and now Chloe has planned a whole night to ask Max a very important question. A fluffy pricefield one-shot.


A/N: Hello everyone, glad to have another fun piece of pricefield to add to the world. A big shout-out to Light27 for helping me out by beta reading for this. I've always struggled mightily with the whole editing process got a ton of great help from them. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and I really would love to see everybody's reviews.

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Outside Max's apartment in the parking lot, Chloe drummed her fingers on the steering wheel of her beat-up truck as she sat silently. She stared out the windshield towards nothing in particular while her knee bounced and pondered the night ahead. She had been putting this night together for weeks; she just hoped it was enough. Her eyes darted towards the clock only to realize that half an hour had passed (she'd arrived early) and it was time to pick up her girlfriend. Jumping out of the truck, she slammed the door behind her and strode towards the building.

Despite her typical poor luck with the weather, the evening in Seattle tonight was somehow perfect; though Chloe did cast a last suspicious glare at the clouds as she passed through the threshold into the apartment complex. Making her way to the elevator, she pressed the up button and entered as the door opened immediately. Tapping the button for the top floor Chloe smirked; living with one Victoria Chase certainly came with its benefits.

As the elevator travelled upward Chloe took a moment to examine her appearance in the reflective gold surface of the wall. She wore black jeans magically rip free tucked into her classic black boots, a white button up shirt covered by a black blazer and a black beanie topping her blue hair. Not exactly her typical gear but she hoped she pulled it off appropriately. Without realising, she had absentmindedly begun playing with the one lock of hair that Max had convinced her to dye pink. Grumbling, she ripped her hand away, she always did that when she was nervous. The elevator dinged as the intended floor was reached out and the doors opened. Stepping out into the hallway Chloe took a deep breath. Max can't see her nervous ticks tonight, Max knew her better than she knew herself. Any of those would certainly set the photographer off on a whole bevy of suspicions. Tonight was supposed to be a surprise. Walking down the hall she willed her gait to fall into its customary swagger and her cocky smirk to work its way across her features. Brushing her hand across her jacket pocket to ensure that the square black box remained where it was supposed to be Chloe knocked loudly on Max's apartment door.

Hearing laughing on the opposite side of the wood, she tapped her foot impatiently for a few moment before the entrance finally opened. Whatever greeting she was about to offer died quickly in her throat. She had told to Max to dress up for tonight but she had not been prepared for this. Her gaze began on the sapphire heels Max had on, trailing up her legs to the tight black dress starting just above her knees to the silver bullet necklace Max had designed to match the once she wore herself. As she always did when she was forced to wear makeup Max went with a very natural look with barely a trace across her already perfect features and a light neutral shade on her lips. Her hair was done up revealing the pale neck that Chloe loved to kiss. Her gaze finally making their way to Max's eyes, Chloe realized she'd been standing in the doorway for multiple seconds without actually saying anything so she scrambled to come up with something.

"Damn Max, you may hate dresses but you certainly know how to rock one." Stepping forward as Max blushed and looked away, Chloe placed her hands on the shorter girl's hips.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Che." Rising onto her tip-toes Max put her hands on Chloe's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.

At the sound of whoops and hollers from behind her Max spun around and extricated herself from Chloe's grasp and bashfully look at the floor. Chloe laughed at the girl's reaction, dating for three years and she still hated public displays of affection. Looking for the source of the noise Chloe spied Veronica and Kate on the couch in the living room. After sharing a knowing glance with Veronica and giving a head nod towards Kate Chloe turned to Max, "So, you ready to go babe?"

"Yep," Max grabbed her purse of the kitchen island "Good to go. Where are we going anyways?"

Holding the door open for Max, Chloe shrugged. "That's for me to know and you to find out." With a small wave to the girls on the couch Chloe followed Max out the door. Doing her best not to let her eyes rest on the swaying hips in front of her Chloe struggled to think of something to say with the distraction tugging at her. Max helped her by slowing her pace so the girls matched stride for stride.

Max glanced over curiously, "Are you okay?"

Stopping at the door of the elevator Chloe responded with surprise, "I'm fine, Mad Max. Why?"

"Nothing, you're just not normally this quiet."

Frantically Chloe looked for a way to distract Max from thinking too much about the way she was acting and how that might be related to the fancy clothes they were wearing or their unknown destination.

"Sorry, I was just distracted by that dress." She flashed a cocky grin, "All those photography events you have to wear these things for warming you up too them?"

They stepped into the elevator and as it headed down Chloe's hand mirrored the direction down to Max's lower back.

Max leaned into Chloe's touch, enjoying the quiet moment shared between just the two of them. "Maybe a little bit." She looked up at Chloe with a little more brashness than she typically was comfortable with and smiled up at her companion slyly. "Are you warming up to them?"

Chloe laughed, wrapped her arms around Max from behind and leaned down to kiss her exposed neck. As she heard a pleased sigh escape from her girlfriend. Chloe brought her lips up to Max's ear and whispered, "Absolutely."

As the elevator door opened revealing a group of four people waiting for the lift, Max squirmed in Chloe's gasp. Chloe laughed playfully before simply picking Max up into her arms and walking across the lobby. Winking to the group of onlookers Chloe heard giggles among them as she carried Max out to the truck. Setting the girl down at the passenger door she huffed and crossed her arms in playful annoyance directed at Chloe. Said girl walked across to her own door and shrugged towards Max, "You know you hella love me."

Grumbling as she climbed into the truck, "Yea, we'll see how long that lasts dork." As they pulled out of the parking lot Max looked over at Chloe expectantly, "So, do I get to know where we're going now?"

Chloe paused as if considering the proposal, "Nah, that'd be no fun at all." Chloe saw Max roll her eyes out of the corner of her vision. Her passenger then leaned over to her dashboard and changed the radio station to that indie acoustic rock that the she loved so much. Normally she'd bicker about the choice but she figured she'd let it slide for tonight. As the soft sounds of plucking guitar filled the truck, Chloe felt warmth surround her hand, glancing over surprised she found Max's hand laid atop of hers. She smiled and flipped her hand over so their fingers could entwine together, any doubts she had for the question she was going to ask tonight disappeared in the quiet moment as they drove through the night lights of Seattle to her surprise destination.

Ten minutes of comfortable silence later Chloe found a parking spot on the side of the road and pulled in. Taking the keys out of the ignition Chloe looked over to Max only to nearly burst out laughing. The girl's forehead was pressed against her window and she had evidently fallen asleep. An idea quickly came to Chloe and so she quietly exited her side of the truck and padded her way over to Max's door. Swiftly she yanked open the passenger side door, Max who was leaning against the door in her slumber fell to the side as her support vanished. With a yelp at her sudden drop Max's eyes sprung open in alarm before Chloe caught her in mid-flight. After a quick moment passed to assess the situation Max glared up at Chloe accusingly, "What the dog was that for?"

Chloe chuckled, "For fun mostly."

Finding her footing Max pushed out of Chloe's embrace and straightened her dress. "Jerk…" she muttered under her breath.

Still nonchalant Chloe leaned against the side of the truck, "We'll see if you feel the same way in a minute."

Max glanced up challengingly, "And what exactly makes you so confident?"

Chloe smirked, "Turn around."

And so Max did and was instantly stunned. Before her was the highly regarded Chase Space bloomed in bright light against the darken Seattle Bay outline. Signs at the entrance boasted tonight's main event, the opening of famed photographer Fiona Summer's debut exhibit. The woman had become Max's photography idol since she had spoken at the Seattle School of Art during Max, Victoria, and Kate's freshman year. Chloe watched the swirl of emotions in her girlfriend's eyes, the slack jaw, and the gasp that accompanied it all. Finally the girl turned to her, "H…how?"

Chloe merly shrugged victoriously, "I pulled some strings. You know me, I got hella connections."

Max smiled knowingly, "So, Victoria then."

Chloe huffed and set her hands against her hips, "Can't you just be appreciative?"

Laughing, Max jumped up and wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck and laid a kiss on the girl's lips. "I can be very appreciative."

"Come on, hippie. Let's see if this show was worth the hype."

The girls walked across the street and waltzed up to the door of the studio, Chloe handed their tickets to the attendant at the door who regarded her beanie atop her head with a clear look of disdain. Smiling in pointed ignorance, Chloe simply wrapped her arm around Max and entered the gala.

The gallery was festooned in decadent splendour. Flutes of champagne adorned nearly every hand, groups of men in tuxes and women in cocktail dresses flitted around the room, and photos of all sorts of scenes and images covered the walls. After making a quick appraisal of their surroundings, Chloe turned her attention to Max. Her reaction was much more important than Chloe's after all.

The girl's eyes darted across the room, absorbing anything they could settle on long enough. The emergence of pure joy was evident enough however and Chloe loved seeing every moment of it. "Hey Max-illion, you want a drink?"

"Sure." Max responded though it was clear she wasn't giving talking her full attention.

Chloe laughed silently, "Alright, I'll be right back pipsqueak." She patted the spot on Max's hip where her hand rested and departed to find refreshments. Spotting a long table draped with white cloth across the room with a host of glasses filled with fizzy drink. Grabbing a pair of beverages she turned back to find Max not where she had left here. Glancing around the room she found her girlfriend examining the first photo in a line of them along the far wall. She frowned seeing a young suited man likely in his early 20s animatedly talking to Max. Chloe started back over to the pair her initial annoyance cooled by the obviously little attention Max was paying to her admirer.

The annoyance came roaring back however when the suit reached over and brushed a lock of Max's hair that had broken free back behind her ear. Her grip on the glasses tightened and she speed up her pace to reach them. Just as she came within hearing distance she calmed with pride when Max pushed the man away with a scowl. "… I'm already here with someone."

Reaching the girl Chloe wrapped her arm around Max and pulled the girl tight against her, only after handing her a flute of champagne did Chloe turn her attention to the man in front on them. "Indeed she is, can we help you?"

While the man stuttered Chloe was pleasantly surprised to find that Max didn't seem at all opposed to their closeness, in fact she was actually leaning into the embrace. With his eyes flickering between them and no words to say the man quickly departed.

Chuckling Chloe leaned down and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "Enjoying yourself, dear?"

Max sighed savouring the feeling of Chloe's comfort before her uncomfortableness at doing such things in public reared its head and she detangled herself. She smiled up at Chloe, "It's amazing, Chlo, things pictures are so good." Turning back to the photo they stood in front of she took a sip of her champagne before continuing. "The colors of the sunset here are so rich," she gestured towards the landscape. "And look at how it's shot, the point of view is depicting..."

Chloe smiled and nodded along as Max continued her rambling, throwing in the occasional "Uh huh" or "Interesting".

Fortunately Max was so into the exhibit that she hardly noticed Chloe's lack of any meaningful commentary. For her part Chloe needed no entertainment from the gallery, the boundless joy and intense passion across Max's face was all Chloe could have ever hoped from the trip. Despite her connection to multiple photographers namely Max, if she was honest Chloe knew next to nothing about photography nor was she really interested outside of whatever Max was into. This night wasn't about her however and even if it was she would spend every night for the rest of her life doing anything Max wanted as long as she got to see the hipster this happy.

Time flew by as the girls made their way around the gallery, Max had finally run out of new photography details to elaborate on and they had relaxed into a comfortable silence and their glasses of champagne had long since been emptied. As they approached the last picture of the collection Chloe grasped Max's hand and smiled as the girl responded by entwining their fingers together.

"I still can't believe that you got these tickets, Che."

"Pssh, you know I got those connections hippie definitely not named Victoria." She smirked down at the photographer, "Did it meet all your wild expectations?"

Max scanned all the images they had just seen, "It was magnificent." She meet Chloe's fond gaze, "I couldn't have imagined a better evening."

Pulling Max towards the doors, Chloe adopted a boisterous appearance to counter the nervousness building once again inside her. "Well, you may have to check that theory. We're not done yet."

Placing her arm around the shorter girl, Chloe began guiding her down the sidewalk towards the waterfront. "Aren't you hungry?"

Before Max could respond her stomach growled hungrily. Clasping her hands across her stomach, Max sheepishly glanced away.

Laughing Chloe picked up the pace, "I'll take that for a yes." Turning the final corner before the bay came into view the presence of bright lights immediately struck Max. A small but obviously upscale restaurant sat on the waterside. As they approached the door Max saw both a seemingly luxurious indoor seating area as well as few tables outside running along the water's edge.

Passing through the doorway Chloe confidently moved towards the matre'd waiting to greet customers. Meeting their arrival with a practised smile the man met Chloe's gaze, "Evening ladies, do you have a reservation?" Gesturing towards the dining room he continued, "It has been a busy evening and unless you have one we will unfortunately have to ask you to visit another time."

With a frown Max began to turn back to the door knowing full well that Chloe had never made a reservation in her life.

"Yes we do, should be under Price. Party of two"

With a glance towards a sheet on his podium renewed the man's smile and he plucked two menu's from the stack at his side. "Wonderful, if you'll follow me I'll bring you to your table."

Chloe smirked at her perplexed date before once again taking her hand and leading her onward. They passed through the dining room and made their way outside. Two large doors stood open on the side of the restaurant facing the water and Max marvelled at the elegant strings of lights cascading above the outdoor seating area. The sounds of a string quartet somewhere inside lazily drifted out combining with the rhythmic lapping of the water of the shore to create a soothing backdrop. The maître'd stopped at a small table sitting at the edge of the patio only feet from the water. "Here you are ladies," he set the two menu's down on the table. "A waiter shall be with you shortly." He gave nodded his head once more towards them then made his way back to the foyer.

As Max drank in the surroundings Chloe stepped to the table and pulled one of the chairs out, trying and failing not to let her unfamiliarity with such actions show she cleared her throat and gestured towards the seat. "Uh, hippies first."

Giggling Max accepted the invitation and Chloe quickly swung into the seat opposite her. "You got a reservation?" Max inquired with an unturned eyebrow. "Did you even know how to get one of those?"

Chloe scoffed, trying her best to look offended. "I totally did Caulfield, how dare you doubt my evening planning abilities." True she may have had to consult Victoria to pull the proper strings to snag this particular table but Max didn't need to know that.

Said girl just rolled her eyes before picking up her menu, "Sure sure, I'll bet your attempt was just priceless." She smirked at her joke as Chloe just groaned. Max's jovial mood quickly vanished however when she saw the prices of the food. Across the board they were outrageously high, there wasn't even an appetizer for the cost the two usually spent on their date nights.

"Chloe look how much all this stuff costs," her eyes glanced furtively between Chloe and the menu in her hands. "We can't afford to eat here."

"Max," Chloe insisted reaching over to put a hand on one of the nervous brunette's. "Trust me, I've got this."

Meeting Chloe's gaze Max just sighed, "Come on Chloe, I feel bad knowing how much you must have spent on those tickets for the gallery. I can't let you spend even more on me."

Chloe's face tightened at Max's statement, setting her menu down she took both of Max's hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "Max please just trust that I have this covered. Obviously this isn't my normal bag but despite what you like to tell me I know you love getting to attend those fancy formal events for photography. Just let me do this tonight, just forget about all the numbers and enjoy yourself. If for no other reason than for me, please."

Letting out a sigh Max met Chloe's gaze for a few long seconds, feeling the complete commitment to this idea radiating from her. If there's was one thing Max knew about Chloe it was that once she got set on something she never changed her mind. Thus, with a smile beginning to grace her lips she let the joy and wonder she had been feeling before looking at the menu back in. "Fine," she relented. "But after tonight you're not spending a single extravagant penny, alright?"

Her cocky grin returning Chloe jumped at the offer, "Deal."

Just then the waiter arrived at their table. Pulling out a notepad and clicking his pen he glanced towards them, "Evening ladies I'll be waiting on you this evening. Can I start you out with some drinks?"

While Max stuttered combing her brain for a response Chloe smiled having already planned this out. "Yes, we'll have a couple glasses of water and a bottle of Pinot grigio."

The waiter scribbled the note on his pad and walked away after claiming he'd be right back with the order. Chloe turned back to Max who was now sported an upturned brow with a look of suspicion on her features. "Wine? Since when do you drink wine?"

"Well, Pinot grigio is your favourite, isn't?"

Max seemed surprised at the question, "You... you know what my favourite wine is?"

Placing a hand over her heart Chloe mocked offense, "You wound me, Madam. Exactly what kind of girlfriend do you take me for?"

Shrugging Max returned her attention to her menu, "Not one who paid attention to wine."

The meal passed far too quickly for Chloe's taste, their food had come and they devoured it earnestly. Chloe did internally congratulate herself for guessing what Max was going to order before she did. But none the less they were nearing the end of the wine and the moment she had planned this whole evening around was rapidly approaching.

The waiter came with the bill which Chloe ripped away from Max before the girl could see and then freak out over the total. After paying for the meal the girls departed the restaurant, standing outside the front doors Max took a moment to observe their surroundings. Magically the evening had remained a comfortable temperature with only a slight breeze. The sky was clear and a spectacle of stars could be seen in the sky despite the glow from the city. Seeing Max admiring the view an idea struck Chloe.

"Hey Max, I don't think we need to head back quite yet. Want to take a walk?" She pointed towards where the sidewalk ended about a block away and became a small dirt path which traced between the shoreline and a swath of trees.

Max brightened at the suggestion, happy to not have to end the night quite yet. She nodded eagerly to her companion. They walked side by side till the shroud of the trees and the expansive bay blanketed them on both sides. Max wrapped herself around Chloe's closest arm and nuzzled into the taller girl as they walked in comfortable silence. The path eventually wound away from the shoreline and into the trees before beginning a relatively steep climb. Max had long since removed her heels and the girls were about the turn back when the path finally opened up into a clearing. They had risen onto an overlook above the water, the lights and sounds of the city a distant memory. Max dropped her heels and passed a stationary Chloe to approach the edge of the overlook. As Chloe watched the girl look out across the water and was nearly overcome with a sense of love and passion for her. The moonlight swept across the shining water and glinted on Max's pale skin sending Chloe's heart racing.

Acting without entirely thinking it through, Chloe reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the small black box that had been burning against her all evening. Stopping a few feet behind Max she dropped to one knee as the hipster turned around. She gave the punk a confused look, not seeing the velvet covered box in the bluenette's hands. Chloe could see the beginnings of words on her love's lips before jumping in to stop them.

"Ever since you came back into my life you have brought me the most joy any person could ever ask for. Every day since then, I've looked at you and been blown away by your beauty, astonished by your goodwill, in awe of your talent, and made joyous by your company. They have been the best years of my life and I never want to let you go." Raising the box up in her hands Chloe opened the lid revealing the sparkling diamond ring inside. "Max Caulfield will you marry me?"

Max's hands rose to cover her mouth and tears began to make themselves known in her bright blue eyes. Struggling to find her words she began nodding vigorously before her voice found her. "Yes, Chloe, yes, a million times yes."

With a wide smile, Chloe removed the ring from its perch and took Max's offered hand in hers before sliding the ring onto her finger. Standing up Chloe wrapped her arms around Max and tightly embraced her while kissing her with what felt like uncontainable passion. Finally breaking the contact Chloe smiled down at her... fiancé. She smirked as she internally noted the new title.

"So future Mrs. Price what shall the first act of our new relationship status be?"

Max looked at the ground as pink dusting blossomed across on her cheeks, "Well, Veronica did mention she'd be spending the night at Kate's place tonight..."

With a mischievous grin stretching across her features Chloe swooped down and picked Max up in her arms before sprinting back down the path they had come. Laughing wildly as Max held on for dear life. "Say no more Mad Max."

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A/N: Thanks for reading everybody, I'd love to see any reviews, comments, or anything else from everybody. Have a great day and happy reading!


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